When Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard and NASCAR star Carl Edwards dated for nearly a year from 2005-2006, they were one of the most high-profile couples in sports.

But the Olympic gold medalist says she still feels jilted by the Roush Fenway Racing driver.Amanda Beard, left, talks in her book about being initially interested in then-boyfriend Carl Edwards' NASCAR lifestyle, but that quickly fizzled. (AP Photo)

In her memoir, “In the Water They Can’t See You Cry,” Beard describes Edwards as self-absorbed, insanely jealous and controlling.

The 349-page book, which was released Tuesday, features 16 pages on Beard’s relationship with Edwards, who has 19 career Sprint Cup victories and finished second to Tony Stewart in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last year.

Beard writes about her attraction to Edwards and what eventually led to their breakup.

She says in the book that Edwards was “adamant that his way was the only right one,” and that the relationship revolved around Edwards, who is two years older than Beard.

“He never asked me what I might like to do, because he only wanted to be on Carl time,” she wrote. “He couldn’t imagine any other kind of time.”

Edwards, who was 26 when he dated Beard, married Dr. Kate Downey in 2009. They have two children.

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series off this week, Edwards is on vacation and was unavailable for comment, a Roush Fenway Racing spokesman said Wednesday.

Beard wrote in the book that she has cut ties with Edwards “severely and permanently.” She says she at first was enamored with the NASCAR lifestyle but that the excitement quickly waned.

She described having a beer with other drivers’ wives and girlfriends in the driver motorhome lot at the track.

“Their entire existence revolved around their significant others,” she wrote. “Three beers and a thousand predictions later, I wanted to scream, Don’t you guys have lives? They were very sweet, but I didn’t have anything in common with the rest of the women.”

Beard said her relationship with Edwards deteriorated because of a lack of communication and jealousy.

She said that Edwards didn’t want her to see male friends or associate with other NASCAR drivers. He also asked her to stop posing in sexy swimsuits for men’s magazines. Beard posed for Maxim, FHM and Sports Illustrated prior to dating Edwards.

Beard said that she told Edwards once that she had used cocaine and that he was disgusted by her admission and told her he wouldn’t date anyone who uses drugs. She said Edwards “didn’t even want me to have a glass of wine.”

“In that moment I decided that I wasn’t going to tell him anything more about myself and I never did,” she wrote. “It was easy since he never asked.”

She said their lack of communication led to their breakup.

“I was slightly bummed about Carl and the end of our year-long romance,” she wrote. “Slightly. Mostly, I was relieved—and energized.”

After her breakup with Edwards, Beard married photographer Sacha Brown and returned to competitive swimming.

Ironically, she says she got her motivation to compete again from watching veteran NASCAR drivers Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin win races in 2005.

“The image of Dale and Mark, two middle-aged, gray-haired men still enjoying the thrill of victory changed my thinking,” she wrote. “They were on the same grueling forty-eight-weekend race schedule as the young drivers. … All of a sudden competitive swimming no longer felt like a burden but an opportunity.”

Every relationship has issues. I would expect the wives lives to revolve around racing and their driver husband. I would imagine its just part of the marriage package to a driver.... Live in a RV and raise the kids on the road. Some women are perfectly fine with that lifestyle. Guess Amanda wasn't.

No marriage is perfect. It's not just sportsmen & celebs who have controlling issues either, everyday people like us do too. If this is the truth of what she said (him a controller over her), if that's not her thing (which I don't know any woman who it would be, other than they'll put up with it for his money), she was smart to leave.

A NASCAR wife has a different life than us & it takes a certain woman who can put up with the stress & husbandless days/nights for whatever the driver's duties hold not only for the weekend, but during the week as well (some more than others) whether she's there with him at the track on weekends or stays home.

Smoke
"We know that Mother Nature is a woman. If she were a man, there would be no rain on race day."

No surprise here for me anyway. Although I am taking what an ex-girlfriend says with a grain of salt, I always thought Carl is two-faced and has one persona he shows the public and one he doesn't. I guess that can be said about most of us but I think his goes further and the egocentric stuff that's pretty easy to see in Carl if you look for it. He's a whiner (though he does it with that huge All-American smile). I think his persona is like a used car dealer... who thinks he can win you over with a wink and a smile but then turns around and yells at his subordinates.

This of course takes nothing away from his driving skills, but I wouldn't want to have dinner with this guy (and I HATE seeing him in the winner's circle).

tlmerk, I have to say I've always felt the same way about Carl. I've just always gotten that feeling about him, plus I figured if Tony called him the Eddie Haskell of NASCAR, there was a reason. I was not a fan of what I viewed as his cheap, fake punches, punk style move on Kenseth after Martinsville years back either.

I won't say much, though (maybe I already have... ). It's a shame that Amanda went this route and I'll take her words with a grain of salt. I respected the way Carl handled the championship race & his eventual loss last year and I think he may well have changed or matured since the days with Amanda and being annoying a la the Kenseth thing.

Leslie, I agree. I think Carl actually handled Tony "stealing" his championship last year pretty graciously, but then we only saw that public side again! LOL

Tony can whine like the rest of them but he seems to be pretty honest about his persona. He can be a jerk to the press but I almost respect that honesty more than the "fake-appearing" shmoozing that Carl does with the press.

I met someone this weekend who is a Jr fan and she said she can't stand Tony and Ryan because they're both whiners. I said Ryan only whines about safety issues and Tony at least is honest about what he dislikes. The only time I have seen Tony not honest is when he's playing the NASCAR game of CYA or I should say KTA. He's a smart cookie and knows when he has to cave to NASCAR and when he can just speak his mind.

I wouldn't believe anything the 99 driver says. Just don't trust that guy. Give me the Brad Ks, Denny even Kyle before someone like Carl. I respect a drivers' honesty. I know some guys are calling me a "girl" right now and that's okay. I don't support people I don't like and he's the ONLY driver on the circuit (besides maybe Robbie Gordon) that I really don't like.

I've always respected Tony's honesty. I get told that "your guy whines all the time" often and I just don't get it. To me there is a difference between whining and being angry or concerned or passionate about something. Granted, you can be angry about something where you're wrong or being unreasonable and Tony has had those moments, but still. I've figured that those who just don't like him have taken his moments of making mistakes and used them as proof that he whines. And that's fine, I guess. Not everyone has to like him, or Ryan (who I adore), or anyone else. Doesn't mean I can't be annoyed at *them*, though.

I'll take someone like Tony, even on his days of being less than pleasant to the media, any day over someone who "shmoozes".

I actually posted this several days ago, but now that this site appears to be "back up", that post has disappeared, so I'll repost it ..........

This post is a little off-topic for this thread, but the subject of Cousin Carl doesn't come up that I am not reminded of this young lady. Her injuries were far more extensive than simply a broken jaw, as reported at the time of the accident. The link below is about nine months old. Hopefully by now all her medical procedures have been completed and she has been fully restored and her recovery is complete.

I have always liked Carl. Met him once in 2006, really nice guy and cares about the fans, though some might disagree.

Ask most drivers including Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, and Carl is one of if not the classiest drivers out there. The way he handle that loss last season is beyond me. I don't know how he did. Think about it he had his first championship in the grasp of his hands, and Smoke took it from him. He basically won it, expect Tony had more wins. And handled the lost like a true champion. That is why Tony Stewart called him a true winner at the banquet.

But of course many here feel that Carl can do nothing right and is pure evil or something.

Obviously Carl meant alot to Amanda. 16 pages proved that. They were in love. But rarely do celebrity relationships work out. Hollywood or the sports world. What she said about the girlfriends and wives of drivers made me think. These ladies really do give up their lives for their boyfriends and husbands. Sure there is Ashley Judd in the IRL who is married to Dario, and she still makes movies, but she is at every single race. It takes a special kind of lady to be with a racecar driver. That is probably why we haven't see Tony or Jr settle down, what lady would want to get into that.

Plus concerning what Amanda said you can't take too seriously, most ex girlfriends that I have had don't have nice things to say about me either.

I know Carl has a lot of fans but I feel comfortable on this SHR site to say how I feel about any driver as most of us like drivers other than Ryan, Tony or Danica. Many of you know I like Brad K. and most people can't stand him. I get it and I respect and understand why you feel that way. So if I offended anyone sorry. I know the 99 has a lot of fans here.

However, I have never heard any NASCAR driver (with the exception of during last season's Chase incident) say that Carl was a classy, standup guy. I've heard it said about JJ and many other drivers but not Carl. But I have heard Ryan and Tony quotes about him that were less than favorable. Could be I just avoid the Edwards quotes as much as possible since he's not my favorite driver but have not heard it.

I think you're right about taking what an ex-lover says about someone. It will always be tainted but there is also usually SOME truth in it. And that's all I'll write about this as my viewpoint is tainted too! LOL

not only do you have the Ex factor, but also sounds like she didnt fit into the racing scene anyways. She also bagged on the wives of nascar, acting like they were beneath her. I guess all famous people do that to a degree.

I think it was quite sad that Amanda Beard took her grief (if that is what is going on) and spread it all over. She'll be sorry someday she said the things she did to the point they appeared in print. I realize she got a broken heart out of it but she isn't the first or will be the last to have this happen. Some can handle a loss in a classy manner and some can't. And as for the wifes and girl friends of racers no one really knows what they put up with or anything about their lives. I only know about one and that is Kenny Schrader. It was an interview years ago and Kenny explained that his wife and children went with him and that she home schooled the children. He just couldn't be away from the family for days at a time. I suppose when the kids got older things had to change in their favor. But thats how people do things when they care for their families. I've heard other things about different racer but it's only rumor so I just don't pay attention.

The Military Thanks You For Standing Behind Them. If You Can't Do that You Can Always Stand In Front Of Them.....Think About It.....

Thank you to those who took a step forward to save the rest who stand still.

While Carl outwardly did show class when he lost the championship last season, he is still a two-faced guy to me. I know some like him but he kisses up to the press, even the stupid questions get the "that's a great question" and that toothy smile.

Look I took Edwards at the happy go luck guy he portrayed until the Kenseth incident in 2007. To me it was very telling that Kenseth, who rarely speaks out said this"His behavior has been real erratic lately, honestly," said Kenseth. "You don't know what to expect with him. That's the thing that's a little bit troublesome. One minute, he has so much respect for you, and he's real friendly and everything's so much fun. The next minute he wants to kick your butt and he's swearing at you. It's a little scary. You never know what you're going to get…I thought it was good in a way that the cameras were there because a lot of us see that, and nobody else does because he kind of puts on a different front."

Then I had an opportunity to meet Carl during a private Fastenal event, less than impressed.

I do think you have to take an ex's words with a grain of salt, but Carl has some history that leads to belief in Amanda's words.

Someone mentioned about wives having to give up their life and that maybe that is why Tony and Jr are not married yet, Jr said virtually that exact thing a few years ago during an interview.

"If it works for you, do it. If its how you feel, act it. Just be yourself, and if being yourself means you`re being cocky once in a while, have at it." Tony Stewart

I admit I've never been impressed with Carl but with that said, I only know his public persona. Plus, I see him as a competition to the driver(s) I do care about so naturally I want to believe the ex-girlfriend.

With that being said, I don't know him, I never will know him and it's not fair to pretend that I do and agree with the ex. She mentions that all he thought about was himself, well, who was she thinking about when she agreed to do the article? I would guess herself and all the publicity she'll get out of it. I feel sorry for her that she obviously had a bad breakup, but until I see personally that Carl is all that she said he is, I'll reserve judgement. The world is full of jerks and if he happens to be one, that's ok. At least my favorite driver has proven he can beat him in the end.

That doesn't mean of course on raceday I won't be wishing him into the wall (unhurt of course), but that's all in the spirit of competition.

“I hate to say I'm growing up because it scares me to think I might be but maybe I'm starting to realize there are more things to life than driving a race car.” ~Tony Stewart